“It was a big honor to be drafted by the Tigers,” he said. “It was unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.”

Roache was invited to three other pre-draft workouts: including the Balitimore Orioles, Philidephia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. He only attended Detroit and Philadelphia’s workouts. Roach had expected to be drafted by the Phillies.

“They have always shown the most interest,” he said. “They only had the people they really wanted come out there.”

Roache’s father is proud, and realizes being drafted out of high school takes hard work and dedication.

“We think it’s fantastic he got drafted, it’s a tremendous honor,” he said. “Especially right out of high school, many players don’t get drafted out of college.”

Roache currently is committed to playing at Georgia Southern University, and as of now he plans to keep it that way.

“Being drafted by the Tigers is great, but college is the best thing for me to mature and improve my skills,” he said.

The Tigers and Roache will continue to negotiate and Roache will have to make an official decision to join the Tigers or attend Georgia Southern by Aug. 15